Conveyancer registration

Individuals and companies running a business that prepares legal documents when property is transferred to a new owner must be registered as conveyancers with Consumer and Business Services (CBS).

Who needs to register

Sole traders, partners in a business and companies can apply unless they have legal restrictions on their work or business. This can include things such as bankruptcy, financial receivership or a suspended licence.

Legal practitioners do not need to register.

You or your company can't apply if you were a director of a company that was wound up to pay creditors in the last five years - including if you were a director six months before winding up started.

Companies must have a majority of directors who are registered conveyancers - at least two. If there are only two directors in the company, one must be a conveyancer. The other director shouldn't be directly involved in real estate sales processes:

a real estate agent

a financier

a close associate of either of the above (unless they are also a conveyancer or close relative).

Check Section 7 of the Conveyancers Act 1994 for detail about what the company's constitution needs to show regarding directors, their finances and voting rights.

Before you register

Offences and convictions

You may not be able to get a licence if you, or a director of the company, have been convicted of:

Category A offence - serious (indictable) offence of dishonesty

Category B offence - summary offence of dishonesty in the last ten years.

In person

Changes affecting your licence

Notify CBS within 14 days if you have committed an offence or have had legal restrictions placed on your work or business. Restrictions can include things such as bankruptcy, financial receivership, and suspended work licence.